Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Firstly I have a soft spot for Basingstoke because my daughter was born there and it's a lovely area. Secondly...the BookBenches are a brilliant idea helping to promote literacy and are also a great canvas to paint, and thirdly Jane Austen was such a wonderful writer!

Sitting with Jane is a unique public art trail to celebrate Jane Austen's connections with Basingstoke and her birthplace Steventon and forms part of a global commemoration of her life in 2017, the 200th Anniversary of her death. 25 BookBenches will form a trail in and around Basingstoke for 12 weeks next summer, which will then be auctioned to help raise funds for the Ark Cancer Centre Charity to go towards a new specialised cancer treatment centre.

Back of the BookBench showing the front of the house.

When I was considering a design, the idea of a dolls house leapt out at me because it could combine the Regency period which Jane Austen describes so well, with characters and stories. I've always loved dolls houses so researching period style, decorating the rooms with tiny details and imagining the kind of dolls which represent typical Jane Austen characters was huge fun!
There's more info on my design 'The House that Jane Built' on the Sitting with Jane website.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Will you be able to find all 3 of my Go Herdwick animals on the Go Herdwick Eco Travel Challenge? Better than virtual games....have fun with your friends, family and work colleagues on Tuesday 2nd August. See details below or here.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

It's lovely to see all the photos and kind comments from sheep spotters in Cumbria who are enjoying 'A Sheep in the Sun' on the GoHerdwick trail.

Sponsored by the Lingmoor Guest House , this ewe reminds people that Cumbria is a beautiful place all year round, and celebrates the owners finding their own perfect place in the sun in Windermere.

The Go Herdwick trail continues throughout the summer until 4th September. The ewes will then be auctioned to raise money towards the Calvert Trust's £1.3 million target to help redevelop the Old Windbrowe site in Keswick.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Having already painted 'Star Grazer' for the Go Herdwick project, I was surprised and very pleased when Paula and Graham, the owners of Lingmoor Guest House in Windermere who are sponsoring one of the ewes, asked me to create and paint a design for them.

The theme they requested was a celebration of the beauty of Cumbria through all the seasons, a sentiment that had prompted them to buy their guest house which they viewed whilst taking part in the TV programme 'A Place in the Sun'.

Featuring some of the many things Cumbria is famous for, 'A Sheep in the sun' shows daffodils, a Herdwick lamb, a red squirrel and a little rabbit sleepily enjoying the sunshine. Even the ewe herself seems to be nodding off , A sheep in the sun, asleep in the sun!

The design took several weeks to paint, using the acrylic as glazes to build up layers for a depth and luminosity of colour.

The #GoHerdwick trail of 60 decorated ewes will start on Good Friday 25th March, and will also be joined later in the year on 27th May by a 'Hide and Seek' trail of 30 lambs. For more information visit Go Herdwick.

Funds raised by the sale of the sculptures in the autumn will go to the Calvert Trust's campaign to raise £1.3 million to redevelop their Old Windbrowe site in Keswick. The Trust provides specialised outdoor adventure challenges for people with disabilities.

Celebrating Cumbria in all seasons, 'A Sheep in the sun' is for everyone living or visiting here, their dream place in the sun' #cumbriaisopen #placetobe